I am happy to announce that Chronicle Bench is currently developing a brand new game: Coded Universe! It is a cyberpunk fantasy turn-based RPG heavily inspired by Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Its main focus is on stripping down the RPG genre to the very core elements that makes RPGs fun, emphasizing skill and strategy over grinding mechanics and artificial game length.

0.9.3 (Windows), 0.9.6 (Mac OS X) (November 14, 2015) "Local Multiplayer Update"-Added Local Multiplayer BETA game mode! --Up to 4 players locally, use both keyboard and gamepads, or gamepads only --Everyone works together as a team to win, or die trying --Difficulty scales based on number of players --Loot scales based on number of players --Everyone plays in a different suit --Requires at least one gamepad --The extra players are NOT simple 'companions' to Player 1, and have their own stats and weapon inventories! --Everything besides game modes and extra suits is already unlocked in multiplayer. Have fun with every weapon and power card while playing with your friends! -Added stat comparison displays (and a new option for them)! -Raised the timer to 20 minutes for Distorted Earth, 15 minutes for Earth Unleashed! -Renamed "Unlockables" to "Single Player Unlockables" -Improved pre-rendering performance -Made the player gasp when he sees a Creepymonster -Fixes to DPS calculator -Added 4 skill achievements (Steam Only) -Added options to the pause screen -The forest biome has alternate tiles -Raised the volume of the Wubb weapon -Added tooltips for the options -Outlined the key count red or yellow based on its value -Added the rest of the patches -Fixed a bug with stitches and preloading -Made the interface pulse in the presence of mortal danger -The Meiun final boss battle is more difficult -The boss in Final Malfunction has slightly more base health -Paintball Gun randomizes its colors -Added an easter egg for taking no damage in a run -Fixed the price of the Stinger -Lowered the price of Pistol and Seeker -Added a softer damage sound for puddle weapons, explosions, and attacks of less than 3 damage -Other small changes and fixes

0.9.2.1 (Windows), 0.9.5 (Mac OS X) (October 10, 2015)-Patched the memory leak during world generation-A LOT of code reworkings and preparations for the upcoming multiplayer update (!)-Rubble now borders dungeon walls-Corrected some DPS displays in the Game Over / Victory screens-Fixed parts of the interface-Added wall torches to dungeons-Updated the forest and snow tiles-The timer now temporarily grows when an earthquake occurs-It is more likely to snow on all biomes during Christmas-Lowered precipitation chances in the desert-Power Cards are replaced by Power Potions-Health Potions are replaced by Hearts-Most blobs are now intoxicated-"Patches" are now generated in the plains, forest, and snow biomes-Changed the collision detection of patches and deep water-Added an extra note in the Tutorial about dashing-Prevented torches from spawning behind walls-New sound effects for grabbing Power Potions-Queen Arma throws dust off the ground while rolling in place-Other small changes and fixes

0.9.2.0 (Windows), 0.9.4 (Mac OS X) (September 12, 2015) "Elemental Update"-Added dashing for players and enemies (default key/button is Space/RB) -Added monster arenas -Elementals now spawn in the Distorted Earth game mode (elementals are powerful monsters with additional abilities previously exclusive to the Earth Unleashed mode) -Added three new elementals: Shadow, Metal, and Psychic -Leaf elemental was replaced with Void elemental -Changed mechanics regarding how elementals spawn (they are less tacked on and more connected to the rest of the game) -Some multiplayer prep -Mega Slot Chests now spawn the thing they unlocked -Scientist no longer takes damage from the edge of spikes -Stolen coins do not give duplicate points -Fixed and sped up the Placing Some Details phase -Dungeon rooms that were guarded by gates are now colored -Made invincibility pulse at the end of the period -Made neon spikes look electrifying -Changed the wall graphic -Ceiling tiles were raised and become transparent when objects hide behind them -Rocky, Gridblock, Death Turtle, and Gem Turtle are now all affected by knockback to an extent -Metallic enemies and props make a unique sound when hit -Meiun now has a warning before spawning -Made fleeing enemies move slower -Decreased the speed of Flubs (the bouncing enemies) -Several enemies have changes in their AI -Several optimizations -Couple of interface tweaks -Loads of various other fixes -Updated the survey to a new one

So now that we have launched the game in a late beta state, you're probably all wondering, "Where do we go from here?"

Well, first of all we want to focus on making the gameplay more fun and varied. All you're currently doing is pointing and whacking things, after all. While there are plenty of things to beat around, it does get pretty old after a while. Here are our current plans for the near future!

DASHING The player will be given the ability to make a quick dash in any direction. This gives you more mobility for dodging attacks and maneuvering around monsters, and it can also be used to move around faster. Of course, why does only the player get to dash? That isn't fair! Fear not; many monsters will also be getting this ability! Each monster who can dash will utilize dashing maneuvers in different ways. Whether to get closer to the player, hop to the other side of the player, or dodge attacks, monsters will be far trickier to deal with.

MONSTER ARENAS Running around flipping switches in dungeons can be boring. Here is something that will fix that: monster arenas. Some switches will spawn in special room layouts. When one of these switches is flipped, you will be blocked into the room and enemies will spawn in waves. Defeat all monsters to open the way out, as well as the colored gate that the switch was connected to. Previously you only fought bosses in enclosed spaces, but not anymore! With limited mobility, you will need to think a bit differently to survive in these arenas.

MORE ELITE ELEMENTALS Currently there are 3 different Elite Elementals in the game. Elite Elementals are stronger versions of normal monsters with additional abilities, such as creating walls of fire or surrounding themselves with pools of water. As of right now these monsters only appear in the mode Earth Unleashed. We would like to bring Elite Elementals to the normal game mode as well while keeping them as a differing factor in Earth Unleashed. It has been decided to create 3 more Elite Elementals, totaling the amount to 6. All 6 Elite Elementals will appear in Earth Unleashed, while only half of them are selected to appear in the main game mode every run.

We have more ideas behind the scenes. If you have suggestions, feel free to share! We take into consideration all feedback!

We have been undergoing closed beta testing over the last week and a half. It has been going well so far, and we are even working on ports for Earth Overclocked.

While the Mac port has been going well, the Linux port is unfortunately very unstable at this present time, and in order to prevent more delays for the game's release, we are dropping Linux support until further notice.

Windows and Mac ports are still underway.

We give out random closed beta access keys on our Twitter account, @ChronicleBench. Be on the lookout if you are interested in our beta program!

We are also giving out keys to Let's Players on YouTube, so if you are a Let's Player, please contact us at chroniclebench@gmail.com for negotiating an access key.